Summary
In an era where the silver screen began to crystallize into a medium of complex social reflection, 'Miss George Washington' emerges as a delightfully ironic exploration of prevarication. The narrative centers on Berenice Somers, a protagonist whose relationship with the truth is, at best, tangential. Alongside her confidante Alice, Berenice orchestrates a truant escape from the rigors of academia to indulge in the escapism of a theatrical matinee. This act of youthful defiance, however, precipitates a labyrinthine series of complications when the pair encounters the formidable Judge and Mrs. Altwold—Alice's progenitors—within the public sphere. Driven by a desperate need to evade paternal scrutiny, the duo seeks sanctuary in a hotel suite occupied by Cleverley Trafton, a diplomat whose professional life involves a different caliber of state-sanctioned deception. When the Altwolds discover the young women in this ostensibly scandalous proximity to a bachelor, Berenice, with a virtuosity of mendacity that belies the film's title, fabricates a marital union between herself and the bewildered Trafton. This lie, intended as a temporary shield, becomes a gilded cage as the Altwolds, oscillating from indignation to effusive hospitality, insist the 'newlyweds' take residence in their home. The ensuing forced cohabitation transforms a frantic stratagem into a genuine romantic evolution, as the artifice of their union slowly dissolves into a sincere matrimonial aspiration.
Synopsis
Chronic liar Berenice Somers and her friend Alice, skip school to see a matinee, however, the two girls must think quickly when they see Alice's parents, Judge and Mrs. Altwold. Trying to escape, they run into the hotel room where young diplomat Cleverley Trafton is staying. Alice's parents find them, however, and are shocked that two young women would be in a man's room. Undaunted, Berenice says that she is Cleverley's wife, and that Alice simply had been visiting. Going from hostile to hospitable, the Altwolds then insist that Berenice and Cleverley stay with them. Cleverley is unable to argue his way out of the situation, and both he and Berenice are embarrassed at having to spend the night together. They soon realize, however, that they have come to like each other, and so, deciding to change Berenice's lie into the truth, they begin making plans for their marriage.
